The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-23

Assembly. Senator Trippetts Speech was d. |
rected TO placing the responsibility of Towards |
appointment upon the Republicans, and claimed |
that for years the directors of the southern |
prisons had been non partisan. He also claimed /
for the Senate committee the honor OF having |
exposed the corruption there and given the clew |
to the House committee. He favored the bill as |
it is without change Senator Mcdonald
thought the measure did injustice to great
many honest men. He did not object to its
principle of appointment, but opposed it's appli |
cation to institutions that had not suffered from
mismanagement
Senator Barrett is adroit in his posings as a
reformer, character perhaps forced upon him
by the results of the last election. 1t is doubt
full, in face of Democratic victory last fall, if
the gentleman would have been able to adjust
his political conscience to what the people re-
quired of him. and of his committee at their
investigation Of the southern prison manage
ment. While the Senate committee with a
Democratic majority, engaged in this work it is
fair presumption that only the surface of the
corrupt practices in that institution would have
been touched, had there been Republican
assistant or danger of an energetic House COM
mittee doing what was left undone. The latter
body found so much to occupy close attention
and industrious effort that the results put into
the shade the report of the Senate committee,
startling as it was. But Senator Barrett. just
before the hour ask ID permission to file the
report concernining the northern prison manage
ment Supplementary 1t with a notification that he
would discuss the questions relative TO his bill
recess.
sembled he called up the northern prison report
had it read, seconded-its adoption. and then pro-
ceeded to talk against the postponement OF his
bill Passing from this. he interpolated ques
ton of privilege, and told with some warmth
what the committee ha6 done in Jeffersonville in
view Of statements made in the Journal He
denied that it was the purpose of the committee
TO whitewash the management of that institu-
ton. and detailed how the committee in sub.
committees examined the several departments Of
the prison. He referred to the Republican mem
bers Of the committee as being able and willing
to corroborate his statements, and called
upon them to refute what had been
charged His purpose to impress the Sen
ate with the idea that the committee had at once
discovered the condition of the southern prison
and for two days and evening had worked
| increasingly in reaching the bottom facts. The
report or the House committee Will snow that
| this was not done. and more, that what Senator
Barrett has been pleased to in all his speeches
is simply negligence of management is unqual-
| fed corruption. Senator Barrett and other
| Democrats of his way of thinking have been very
careful in combining their views of the business
practices at this prison something to condone
with only dismissal from office. Upon this they
reformers But Senator Barrett, after his
| minute statement of how the committee
worked. and thereby asking for favorable YER
| dict upon its industry, failed to meet the state
ment that it was not until late On the last day
| of the committees stay that any of its members
reached the important discovery of how far the
| financial mismanagement went The Senate
| committee, when it found that the officers of
the Citizens National Bank had gone to Louis
vile. having closed business for the day, did not
| think it worth while to pursue the question of
| discrepancies any further Warden Howard
| was allowed to show the committee So 200 IN the
SAFE which he had forced from the convict San
ders, and the 81, 900 or more he borrowed for the
time being. These two sums were accepted as
making up the shortage. and the committee
came home with its long criticism
about the filth of the prison and the
incapacity and unworthiness OF the chaplain,
| but leaving the statement about the finances to
convey by inference that Howard probably
| could make all doubts in that respect clear as
| daylight, since according to the ostensbe be-
lief of Senator Barrett and other Democrats, the
warden was only culpable Of careless book keep
| ing
Senator Johnson followed Senator Barrett in a
long and exhaustive speech in favor of non-par-
| tisan control of the institutions. After several
| hours OF this discussion the Senate ad journed
| without reaching vote the motion to post
pone the bill until Thursday.